But I thought you were too busy and focused on becoming the Number One Hero to waste your time on a girlfriend.
*
"Pleeeeeaaaase Ren, PLEASE!" Ashido cried out as she pulled on Ren's long knitted cream cardigan.
"Mina, stop! You're gonna unravel it!" Ren pulled her cardigan from Ashido's baby-like grip and turned her body away so the pink couldn't get her fingers back into the soft knitted fabric. She was meters from the front door of the dorms, more eager than she would've been for her second date with Bakugo considering it had been weeks since she'd left UA grounds. Ashido had caught her trying to leave unnoticed while she sat in the common room trying to wrap her head around the English assignment.
"BUT REEEEEEEEN!" She whined. "I need your heeeeelp!" Ashido rocked Ren's shoulders back and forth violently as her words came out as high-pitched squeals.
"MINA!" Ren ripped her shoulders from Ashido's surprisingly strong pink grip. "I asked you on Wednesday night if you needed help with the English assignment then because I wasn't going to spend my first Saturday in like, WEEKS inside so that we literally didn't have to have this exact interaction!" She pinched the bridge of her nose as she explained herself to Ashido.
"Well I didn't think I needed help theeeeen..." Ashido whined and collapsed to the floor, her legs splaying out like she was a toddler throwing a tantrum.
"Come on Chinami!" Another voice joined Ashido's pathetic wails, this time it was Kaminari. He flopped down beside Ashido on his knees and clasping his hands together like he was begging for his life, he pleaded with Ren too. "I'll do your laundry for a month."
Ren rolled her eyes. "I'm too particular."
"I'll clean your room for you!" Ashido leapt to her knees beside Kaminari.
"What makes you think it's ever messy?" Ren quirked a brow.
A third beggar joined their chorus of whines and wails. "I'll sthort your pantiesth draw for you!"
Ren quirked her other eyebrow at the purple-ball headed kid who didn't need to drop to his knees to be at the same height as his friends. "Want me to slap you into another wall, Grape Face?"
"It is your responsibility... Nay, your obligation as the top student in our class to assist us with assignments... Especially when you're literally fluent in the subject." Kaminari thought his charming boyish smile could persuade Ren. "Plus Bakugo's been out all morning so it's not like we've got backup."
"My obligation, huh?" Ren's eyes narrowed at the three grovelling at her feet. "I don't like being told what to do."
They heard a chuckle from the stairwell. Kirishima shuffled past towards the common area in his house slippers, hands sunk low into his comfy sweatpants and his baggy vest swaying across his toned chest. "You sound like you've been hanging out with Bakugo." He gave Ren a cheeky wink before he disappeared from their view.
Ren's eyes twitched and she felt her jaw clench. "I'm surrounded by idiots." She mumbled before she turned on her heel, using Kirishima's quick distracting comment to make a break for it.
"Have you been hanging out with Bakugo?" Kaminari asked innocently, more so commenting on Ren's attitude than actually asking.
Ren's hand froze on the doorknob before she flipped her head back to her classmates. "I'm gonna start charging for lessons, good luck kids." And with that she was out the door, her long blonde curls flowing behind her.
Bakugo had instructed that they would meet at the train station in the city centre near Shizuoka Prefecture. Apparently, he knew the best food joint and insisted that's where they'd dine at some point during the day, followed by any other activity he deemed worthy of their time. Ren cursed Ashido, Kaminari and Mineta for clinging to her this morning. Bakugo hated tardiness, even if the meeting was casual. She'd just managed to jog onto the platform as the train Bakugo was on pulled into the station.
She huffed a quick 'phew' before fixing her cardigan and skirt. She'd gone very autumnal for the date, excited that she could still catch some of the changing leaves and dress up a little before winter claimed style with its large down coats and sheepskin mittens. She'd gone for a tame mustard top with a rust cord skirt that hit a little above the knee and some warm socks that peaked out of the top of her dark brown leather ankle boots that she wore everyday to school.
Bakugo stepped off of the train while casually putting his earbuds back into their case. He wore a black turtleneck, black chinos and a pair of fashion sneakers that Ren could've sworn were a pair of Yeezys. She'd never have picked Bakugo to be the type...
"I saw you rushing to catch me." He said to her with a mini version of his shit eating grin. "Miss me that much?" He continued walking, signalling for her to follow along.
"In your dreams, Baka." She replied with a little eye roll. "Blame pink, yellow and purple for the delay." Bakugo snorted. "How's Granny B?"
"As Granny B as ever." He shrugged as they exited the station. "She asked about you a lot. I began to wonder why I didn't just send you in my place, she's got a new favourite."
"Aww!" Ren teased. "I don't blame her." She winked at him.
"And how are you?" His tone was still light but there was an air of seriousness to his question.
Ren gnawed on her bottom lip. "I'm... I'm fine. I think for the first time since I can remember I feel kinda... Normal..." She furrowed her brow for a second. "There's just one little thing still bothering me."
"The nomu?" Bakugo raised an eyebrow and glanced at Ren.
"Hm. How'd you guess?"
"Cause it's bothering me too." He turned back to the path before them, shoving his hands in his pockets, his shoulders instinctively arching defensively.
"Why's that?" Ren asked.
"Because like you, I've got a lot of... Unanswered questions..." He muttered before stopping. "This is it." He tilted his head at the store entrance they'd stopped in front of.
"An arcade?" Ren took in the neon lights, the kitschy decor, the bright posters and the constant stream of dings, rings and bongs she couldn't believe she hadn't noticed until right now. "You're into this kind of thing?"
"Yeah, is that a problem?" Bakugo barked defensively.
"Not at all, I've never been. Just surprised... I thought we were going somewhere to eat?" She asked as he lead them through the entrance.
"This is where we're eating. Trust me, their diner is fucking amazing." He stopped in front of an arcade game. It was some kind of side view fighter game. "But first; I get to destroy every game."
They spent the next hour or so hoping from one machine to the next. Every time Bakugo would obliterate the game, making Ren a little nervous to volunteer for any two player games even though she too was competitive.
"I'm sure you've noticed the initials of every high score in all the games we've played so far." Bakugo commented cockily.
Ren chortled. "I certainly have... and Uh.. Games that we've played, hey?" She quirked a brow and gave him a little smirk.
"You're my cheer squad." He answered simply. "Is that a problem?" Bakugo stepped closer to Ren, looming over her intimidatingly. "Why don't you challenge me then?"
"Okay. Pick a game." Ren puffed out her chest and stepped up to Bakugo too, trying to be as intimidating to him and his tall frame as she could.
Bakugo's fiery red eyes scanned the arcade for his favourite two player game. There'd been countless times when his middle school friends had challenged him to this game and sorely lost. He'd even brought Kirishima and Kaminari to this arcade a few times and each time he destroyed them in a match. It was his favourite game because not only did he hold the top score, it was his highest score of any game in the arcade. "That one." He finally said with a little nod towards the game on the far side of the arcade.
Ren turned to what he was looking at; a very modern and sci-fi looking shooting game. She glanced between the game and Bakugo a few times. "Okay, what does the winner get?"
Bakugo snorted. "Bragging rights, come on." He took Ren's wrist firmly, didn't hurt; it felt excited and eager rather than aggressive and bossy. The weaved through the maze of games and people until they reached the game. It was called Space Shooters, creative. A group of younger teenagers were about to jump the game when they saw Bakugo's dark stare, causing them to immediately tuck-tail and get out of there.
Ren rolled her eyes. "Okay, hows the game work?" She pulled the plastic futuristic blaster from it's holster and pulled the trigger repeatedly. She wasn't very into games but this... This she might be good at.
Bakugo slipped a few coins into the slot and grabbed a weapon for himself. "Shoot as many of the targets as you can before you die. Different targets are worth more than others but uh, don't be surprised if you miss a lot, even I can't get them all and you know me; I'm great at everything."
"Right." Ren answered blankly. His confidence was something she adored about him and yet it irritated her intensely at times. The screen zapped from the generic shooting clip it was looping to a weapon calibration screen. Ren's sight from her weapon lined up perfectly with each of the small Xs dotted across the screen that she had to point and click on to have her weapon calibrate.
"Good luck, Freckles." Bakugo mumbled to her as the screen turned dark and the music coming out of the plastic speakers changed from upbeat sci-fi noises to a deep and intense rumbling.
Ren smirked. "Back at ya, Baka." A bright light illuminated the dark screen and Ren's first person character arms holding a much more complex and detailed version of her plastic blaster came into view. A commander appeared on both of their screens; yelling and instructing them on their task before the characters leapt from a space shuttle onto a badly rendered and brightly coloured alien battlefield. 3... 2... 1... flashed onto the screen and a loud horn sounded the start of the game.
Immediately, Ren whipped her weapon between the heads of the hostile AI. 'Headshot! Double kill! Triple! Great shot! Perfect!' Sounded out of the raspy speakers.
"Huh?!" Bakugo glanced over at her screen as he continued to slaughter the enemies on his side. Ren's brow was arched with the highest level of concentration and her top lip curled into a slight snarl as she almost robotically shifted her weapon around.
Game over! Spread onto Bakugo's screen after a couple of minutes. The voice of the commander calling out to his character faded from the speakers before Bakugo threw his weapon back into its holster with a huff. "Hmm!" He smirked when his score rounded up on the screen. "Beat last time anyway."
His smile faded when he glanced over to Ren, she was still going. A screen Bakugo had never before seen slid into view; bonus round. "What?!" He exclaimed and rushed behind her. "How the fuck did you-?"
As if to answer his question, a line of hostiles rushed into view and like popping cans off of a fence, Ren took each one down with a perfect headshot. You win! Danced across the screen, followed by Ren's high score racking up to almost double what Bakugo had accumulated. She slid the plastic weapon back into the holster and glanced over at Bakugo, who still had not picked his jaw off of the floor.
"W-where the fuck did you learn to shoot like that?" He furrowed his brow and glared down at her. Tickets started spitting out of the machine like crazy.
Ren quirked a brow. "Katsuki. I lived in California for like ten years, where do you think?"
Bakugo let out an extended groan, he was never gonna hear the end of this. Ren smugly input the letters R E N for the high score before glancing over to Bakugo as her name zoomed past K A T. Bakugo poured and crossed his arms while Ren giggled. "Aww! Cheer up Baka!" She hugged his arm and tugged it away from his chest. "There's always next time."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'm hungry." He rolled his eyes and slumped his hands into his pockets. Ren bit her bottom lip before collecting the mass of tickets that had poured from the machine and adding it to their already vast collection from Bakugo's victories.
With a lot of shoving and mild bickering, they managed to squeeze the mass of paper into Ren's little bag before heading up to the diner section of the arcade. It sat on a loft overlooking the arcade with kitschy 80s decor to match the rest of the place. Ren tapped her fingers against the laminated menu as she thought about what she wanted to eat.
Bakugo stared at her as she peered down at the menu, her brows crinkling slightly and her hair cascading over her shoulders to hit the table. "Where did you really learn to shoot like that?" He asked after a few moments of quiet dulled only by the electro-wave tunes buzzing through the joint.
Ren bit the inside of her cheek. The words on the menu morphed from being coherent descriptions of American style meals to squiggly lines with blurry doodles of burgers and drinks. "Where do you think?" She glanced up at Bakugo, swallowing the lump that built up very quickly in the bottom of her throat.
"Of course." He grumbled. "We don't have to talk about it, like, ever, if you don't want to."
"It's gonna take some time before... It's easier for me to talk about but-" Ren wiggled her lips. "I think the more I do, the easier that will be... And who better than you to practice on?" She gave him a lopsided smirk. Bakugo returned her smile with a rare, soft and genuine one. "You tell me something now."
Bakugo frowned. "Like what?"
"Hmm..." Ren looked around as she thought about what to ask him. "Favourite food?"
"Anything spicy." He said with a shrug. "You?"
"In LA I used to get this salad from a place near our house. It was like, pumpkin, halloumi, chia seeds, grilled chicken, so much good stuff. It's the one thing I miss- Well, that and surfing." Ren explained.
"How long you been surfing?" Bakugo asked just as a diner waiter came up to their booth.
"And what can I get you kids?"
"I'll have the spicy fried chicken burger with extra hot sauce, and uh, maybe just bring me a tub of hot sauce you guys never put on enough." Bakugo instructed as he waved his hand about casually. "Large side of chilli fries and a jumbo lemonade."
"And for the lady?"
"Just the cheeseburger with the curly fries and a caramel shake please." Ren said with a little smile.
"No worries, won't be long." The waiter bowed and scurried off with their order.
Bakugo raised a brow. "Caramel, huh?"
"Shut up I've grown to like it." Ren poked her tongue out at him. "To answer your question; I started surfing when I was five. My family used to take summer trips to the beach and then moving to LA it was like the one thing I had." She shrugged. "What do you like to do? I feel like I never see you do anything other than study, train or... Me."
Bakugo smirked triumphantly. "I do like doing that. Well..." He stretched out his arms above his head before slouching back into the booth. "I like reading."
"Really?" Ren sounded a lot more surprised than she intended to.
"Yeah!" He barked back at her. "That shock you?!"
Ren waved her hands in front of her. "No, no!" She chuckled uneasily. "It just seems like such a quiet activity for someone so... Outspoken."
Bakugo tolled his eyes. "Yeah well, when I'm alone there's no idiots for me to yell at. I actually like the quiet. But I guess playing games is fun sometimes, it's better when Shitty Hair is there."
"Aww!" Ren leant her elbows on the table and rested her cheeks against her palms.
Bakugo narrowed his eyes at her. "I'll detonate you."
"Only if you can catch me, babe." She poked her tongue out at him. "Your turn."
"What, is this a game now?" He quirked a brow at her. "Okay, did you have a boyfriend in America?" He made air quotes with his hands, resulting in Ren rolling her eyes.
"No. Back then I wasn't really interested in letting anyone get close to me." She leant back in her seat and folded her arms over her chest.
"What changed?" He furrowed his brow slightly.
"Nah, it's my turn." Ren pursed her lips. "How many girls have you slept with?"
Bakugo's brow furrowed further over his crimson eyes. "What makes you think I've slept with a lot of girls?"
"Answer my question first." Ren tilted her head. She'd always wondered where she sat on his list, how many girls he'd drawn in with his charm and cast aside when he was done with them. It was jealousy, and yet she wouldn't dare admit that to herself.
Bakugo was just confused. Why the hell would she ask something like that? Especially now, when he was so ready to do this the right way. Ugh, this is why he never tried with girls before. The waiter chose to arrive at the most awkward moment possible, laying out the food with a cheery 'enjoy' as they awkwardly thanked him. The waiter shuffled off, leaving them to their uncomfortable staring contest.
"Just you." Bakugo said after a second of silence. "Why would you think otherwise?"
Ren blushed. Now she just felt stupid and embarrassed, besides, what right did she have to care if there had been others? "H-Honestly," She grabbed her caramel shake, bringing the metal straw to her lips shakily as she tried to form words. "Because you're so good at- God, you know."
Bakugo laughed, the same kind of laugh she'd laughed at him all the times she'd embarrassed him before they slept together. The times that made him hate her and want her at the same time. Hate her for embarrassing him and want her for being someone who could stand up to him. "Oh Freckles, when will you learn? I'm the best at everything."
Ren rolled her eyes at this. "As I've proved many times, you're only the best until I step up."
*
Bakugo and Ren were rounding off their day by walking through the shopping district. It was rare that they ever got to go out and do so, especially since Ren had been on house arrest, and so a little treat yoself was in play for both of them. Ren had split from Bakugo when they got to a clothing store that stocked men's and women's attire to look at winter coats while he browsed the fitness section. It was there that he heard a slightly older version of a familiar voice.
"Bakugo?!" The voice called to him in surprise.
Bakugo turned to the source, mildly irritated that his silence and browsing had been interrupted by someone other than his date. "Oh, Yubiki." He said simply. It was one of his friends who he'd grown up with up until middle school, their busy schedules, different high schools and the fact that Bakugo lived in Tokyo 90% of the time had caused them to lose contact over the last two years.
"What're you doin out here man?!" Yubiki swung one of his gangly arms over Bakugo's neck, causing the ash blonde to growl irritably.
"Well I used to fucking live here, didn't I?!" Bakugo barked back at him.
Yubiki laughed. "Same ol' Kats." He shook his head. "Don't blame you for bein' in here though, I just came from the women's side and-" Yubiki blew a long whistle. "There's a real hotty in here today." Bakugo raised an uninterested brow and let out a 'hm'. "Man, long blonde hair, the bluest eyes I've ever seen, perfect body, legs up to here!" He gestured his hand above his head and Bakugo raised another eyebrow. He knew he was talking about Ren and he really, really didn't like it.
Bakugo grumbled. "Who cares?"
"Oh come on, dude! When was the last time you got laid?!" Yubiki chuckled and slapped Bakugo's shoulder. He quickly realised his mistake when crimson eyes bore into his own, warning him that he'd lose a hand the next time he tried something like that.
'Last night but that's none of your business you lanky ass wipe.' Bakugo thought to himself as he glared at the guy he was once friends with. And to make matters worse, as if destiny decreed it so, Ren made her way towards Bakugo from the women's section. She could just spy his mass of messy ash blonde hair above the racks of clothing and sale signs. As she got into the gap between the two racks he was in, she noticed he wasn't alone, and quirked a brow, wondering who this lanky stranger was.
"Dude! She's headed this way!" Yubiki blubbered. "I got this, you suck at talking to girls." He acted cool and casual while Bakugo growled and clenched his fists. As Ren got within a few feet of the two guys, Yubiki extended his long thin fingers until they reached a hanger on the opposing rack, causing Ren to stop in her tracks. "Here, lemme get that for ya." He said to Bakugo while glancing over at Ren flirtatiously. He retracted his fingers and dangled the hanger in front of Bakugo before glancing at Ren again.
She looked at Yubiki, then to Bakugo and back at Yubiki. Ren sighed, folded her arms across her chest and leant on her right side. "Was that supposed to impress me?" She mumbled to Yubiki.
"He's the fighter, I'm the lover." Yubiki gestured between Bakugo and himself. Ren kept her cool and quirked a brow at Bakugo. While she was trying not to laugh, he was doing everything he could to ensure he didn't rip every hair out of Yubiki's skull. "Well if that didn't get you interested, maybe knowing that my boy here is the number one student at UA, will interest you." He gripped Bakugo's shoulder and shoved him in Ren's direction.
Ren smirked. "Oh really?" She asked with a smug toothy grin, her other eyebrow raised to join the other's level.
Bakugo groaned. "Ungh, here we go." He muttered as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You know he's not the number one student at UA, right?" She gestured her thumb at Bakugo over her shoulder. Yubiki's mouth dropped to a squashed O shape. "That title belongs to me, actually." She crossed her arms over her chest and smirked at Bakugo again.
"Give me a break." Bakugo grumbled.
"W-wait... You know her?!" Yubiki stammered.
"Yeah." The cocky blondes chimed in unison.
"And you didn't think to mention that?!" He whined at Bakugo, to which Bakugo shrugged. "B-but! You suck at talking to hot girls!"
"You didn't ask." He gave Yubiki his iconic cocky and toothy grin while Ren laughed uncontrollably into her hand. "Chinami, Yubiki. Yubiki, Chinami."
"Pleasure." Ren managed to get out the word as she continuously laughed into her hand. "Excuse me." She left them in between the two racks, letting her laugh spiral out of control while she looked for a restroom to splash her face.
Bakugo rolled his eyes and smiled softly to himself. "That idiot." He mumbled.
"Aaaaah..." Yubiki turned from watching Ren to Bakugo's dumbstruck face. "I get it now."
"Get what?" Bakugo snapped.
"She's your girlfriend." Yubiki smirked and for a second his eyes darkened. 'Hng!' Bakugo's voice caught in this throat, in an instant his cheeks, nose and ears had turned bright red. "But I thought you were too busy and focused on becoming the Number One Hero to waste your time on a girlfriend."
"W-Well- Hey!" Bakugo barked. "Where do you get off assuming what my relationship to that girl is?!"
Yubiki held out his lanky hands and pressed them back and forth a few times in an effort to calm the explosive boy down. "Hey, hey, I'm just calling it like it is. You're the one who's pussywhipped." He smirked again.
Bakugo growled through his tightly clenched teeth. In an instant, his hand was entwined with the fabric of Yubiki's shirt as he forced his old friend against the clothing rack. "Listen to me, you D-grade bastard. Nothing, I repeat, nothing will ever get in my way of becoming the greatest hero that ever lived. Got it?!" Bakugo dropped his grip on his old friend and huffed away to find Ren.
Sure, they could go on dates and sure they could hang out and have sex exclusively but there was no way, no way, that Ren was his girlfriend.
*